Improvement in shells for rifled ordnance



'To LZ whom, it may concern.:

i of the same, reference being had to the accom- -and use my invention, I Will proceed to dcvscribeits construction and operation.

l jectile is to be used, is formed into the conical l the rabbet, it may not be disturbed in insert- UNITED STATES `Parrnrrr OFFICE.

ro-nx r. noLLiNs, or CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA'.

IMPROVEMENT IN SHELLS FOR RI'FLED ORDNANCE.

Specilirniinn toi-ming part cf Leiters Patent No. 34,268.1latcd January 23, 156..

Be it known that I, J. I. RoLLINs, of Cedar Rapids, in the county of Linn and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Elongated Proj ectiles for Ordnance; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description panying drawings, forming part of thisY specilication, in`which- Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section of a shell with my improvements. Fig. 2 `is a longitudinal outside view of the sanie -The nature of the invention consists in an improved device for effecting the explosionof a hollow projectile or shell by percussion.

To enable others skilled in the art to make A is the body of the projectile, having its exterior' of cylindro-conoidal form, witharabbet, a b, around t-he base, and a shoulder, c, at the junction of its cylindrical portion and its conoidal portion.

B is a packingring of sole-leather surrounding the cylindrical portion a of the rabbet a I), and C another packing-ring of the same material surrounding the conoidal portion of the projectile. The packing-ring B, after being cut out, when flat, of an internal diameter, to t tightly to the portion a of the rabbet, and of an external diameter sufficiently greater than that of the exte rior of the cylindrical portion of the body A, and of the bore of the gun in which the proshape represented in bold outline in Figs. 1 and 2, by being p1essed,\vl1ile wet, in a suitable die or mold, and its externa-l diameter is thus reduced to less than that of the exterior of the body, so that when, after having been dried and become hard, it is placed tightly on the portion a, and close up to the fiat face b of i-ng the projectile into the gun. rlhis ringmay be fastened to the projectile by someadhesive material. The ring C is made of an external diameter, sli ght-ly less than the exterior ofthe cylindrical portion of the projectile, and of an internal diameter to :tit the conoidal portion ot' the projectile sonic distance in front pi' the shoulder c, and where it is smaller than it is close to the shoulder, and this ring shouldbe secured by some suitable adhesive material to prevent its slipping off. The `projectile tted with the rings B C, as above described, may be inserted at the muzzle or breech of the gun, but in either case, the ring C must be rammed bya hollow or concave rammer inserted at the muzzle to drive it up toward the shoulder c far enough for the expansion produced on it by passing along the. conoidal portion of the `ball to make it fit tightly into the bore and enter the grooves of the gun, and thereby to prevent windage.. Vhen |the gun is fired, the pressure of the gases evolved acts against the back of the ring B, and drives it forward to wardthe shoulder yb, formed by the front of the rabbet a b, and so causes the said ring to expand laterally, in the manner indicated by dotted outline, to such an extent as to make it iill the bore and grooves, so that as the projectile moves along the bore in the discharge of the gun the said ring is caused to derive, and to impart to the projectile arotary motion about its axis. As the projectile starts, its conoidal front part acts like awedg'e to expand the ring C, which is thus further expanded and made to iill the grooves until the shoulder c comes in contact with it, as shown in dot ted outline in Fig. 1, when it moves forward with the projectile and aids the ring B inproducing the rotary motion. In adapting the ring B to breeclrloading fire-arms, it need not be made ot the conical. form represented in the bold lines of Fig. l and in Fig. 2, but may be applied to the projectile in the flat form shown in the dot-ted lines of Fig. l., as it will yield to allow its entrance into the chamber in the conical form. f

D, Fig. 1, is a screw-plug screwing into and closing the opening in the rear of the shell, through which the charge by which it'is exploded is inserted. This plug is long enough to protrude some distance into the cavity d, which contains. the powder, and is turned down in front of its screw-thread for the reception of a light tube, E, of tin plate or other metal, and is finished off in front in the form of a nipple, e, for the reception of a percussion-cap, f, avent, g, being provided from the said' nipple through one side of the plug to the cavity (I, The tube E fits snugly onto the plug', and is confined between the solid head of the projectile and a shoulder on I the said plug when the latter is screwed into the projectile.

the front thereof, said plunger being furnished within the cavity d with u collar7 h, which serves as a bearing for the spiral spring 1', applied between the said collar and the plug D, und also serves as u stop to pre\;ent the spring forcing the plunger too far our' through the front of thc projectile. The Qg'ject of the spring i is to keep the plunger E from aecidentally striking the cap f on the nipple e. The body of the projectile has its front part `filled, as shown at j j in Fig. 1, with lend,

which, by reason of its specific gravity being greater than iron, brings the center ot' gravity striking on the point when the plunger F protrudes. When the projectile strikes, the plunger Fis first arrested und the continued moveproduces the explosion. l

I cluinlprojecting in front of the shell, with :t disdischurge-nipple,. e, formed upon :t screw, D` inserted from the rear, all substantial] y :is and for the purposes set forth.

l "JOHN 1. ROLLINS.

MARTIN HA o 1-1 n.

of the projectile nearer the front than if it were made entirely oi' iron, and so insures itsment of the projectile brings the ecp f in contact with the inner end. ot' the plunger und The combination of u sliding spring-rod, F, 

